What IsCreative Problem Solving?

Dr. Firestien explains the Creative Problem Solving process and how it works.

What is the Creative Problem Solving Process?

The Creative Problem Solving process that we use is not new but has been tested, validated and refined over the last 60 years. It is the most researched and applied Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process in the world.

A comprehensive timeline of the CPS process can be found by clicking here.

The Learner’s Model

The most recent advancement in CPS is the Foresight process, developed by my colleagues Gerard Puccio and Blair Miller in 2011. It has four basic steps: Clarify, Ideate, Develop and Implement.

Plain Language Model

One of the models that Foursight CPS is built on is the Plain Language Model that I, along with my colleagues Jonathan Vehar, Blair Miller and Bill Shepard, developed in 1997. We named it the Plain Language Model because, before we introduced this process, the previous models could be confusing and used a good deal of jargon. It has the same basic steps: Explore the Challenge, Generate Ideas and Prepare for Action. The purpose in showing two models of the CPS process is to give you an idea of the evolution of Creative Problem Solving and illustrate that there probably isn’t just one best way to describe what occurs in the creative process. The models, however, give individuals and groups that are applying CPS to challenges a road map as to what they can expect as they move from identifying a goal, gathering data about that goal, re-framing the problem landscape, generating ideas to solve the best definition of the problem, refining a solution and developing a plan for action.

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